I promised to address plastic. This is a huge subject area, so for today, I will look at it from the aspect of Zero Waste and food storage.
Beginning to store our leftovers in glass or ceramic requires changing a pattern of behavior. Instead of reaching for that plastic storage container with the perfectly fitting plastic lid or rather than rip off a piece of plastic wrap to cover that dish, I just have to reach for the dishes! By doing this at home, I’m already eliminating waste!
But this becomes more of a challenge when I’m packing a lunch for myself or my family or when I’m putting together a picnic or food for an outdoor eating event. It’s really not feasible to send glass in a lunch box or picnic basket. So, what can I do instead? For sandwiches or other small items that I would normally put in a plastic sandwich bag, I can take some clues from the past. How about using good old-fashioned, natural wax paper just like my mom used to use? And if I don’t want to hassle with folding the sandwich in waxed paper, I can purchase waxed paper sandwich bags.
Natural waxed paper can be composted and degrades quickly. I want to make sure and buy a natural rather than a petroleum based coating so we need to be careful about which brand we purchase. Bags made with a petroleum based coating, like plastic, are not biodegradable. Waxed paper and paper bags coated with paraffin are a better option. Natural Value, both paraffin coated and widely available at health food stores, is a good brand to look for.
By using natural waxed paper, I am not only reducing waste but I am also putting all that organic food that we consume in our home into non-toxic packaging for myself and my family–keeping my family further protected!
As for larger needs for outdoor eating, I can also do something that was done even longer ago…wrap our food in large cloth napkins. This can work well for whole fruit and baked goods–it’s even more special when the baked goods inside are homemade (less energy being used than if I buy something that was transported to my local grocery store and more than likely packaged in plastics). The cloth napkins can look very chic–I especially like the large, thick cotton styles in plaids or bold prints.
For items such as salads, I guess I have to resort to storage containers. This is going to take a bit more research so I’ll save this for tomorrow.
In the meantime…
DID YOU KNOW…the first plastic sandwich bags were introduced in 1957? Department stores started using plastic bags in the late 1970’s and supermarket chains introduced the bags in the early 1980’s. AND…Each year, Americans throw away about 100 billion polyethylene plastic bags (only 0.6 percent of plastic bags are recycled)!
FOR TODAY…I will add natural wax paper and wax paper sandwich bags to my grocery list and begin using them for our packed lunches. I will use up the plastic sandwich bags we have left in our house and as I dispose of them, I will tear off the zipper/sealer top and throw that in the garbage (sad, but true). I will add the rest of the bag to my recycling. When we next go on an outdoor picnic, I will store our fruit and baked goods in waxed paper or cloth napkins. Tomorrow, I’ll look at transportable storage containers…
